Posts Tagged ‘Join-Up’

November 30, 2018, Solvang, California: Join-Up International’s programs are effectively assisting veterans, at-risk youth, animal welfare and education of future trainers of non-violent horse training. Horse Sense & Healing, Lead-Up and a horse gentling program are regularly offered through the Monty Roberts International Learning Center as programs under the non-profit Join-Up International (JUI).

The Learning Center is located in the Santa Ynez valley at Flag Is Up Farms, where amazing successes training dedicated young men and women are achieved to promote Join-Up’s mission. The staff and volunteers are dedicated to promoting and teaching gentle, more effective alternatives to violence, such as trust building communication, through educational courses and clinics, using horses as a vehicle for this process. Violence is never the answer.

JUI has two other important programs, one for veterans, first responders and their families and the other is for at-risk youth. The horses are the barometers of the participants’ emotional control and stress reduction in our Horse Sense & Healing program since 2010. Lead-Up was developed for youth to reduce violence in the community by forming peaceful leaders. Join-Up offers everyone an effective tool to rediscover themselves through the eyes of the horse.

Fulfilling the work of JUI and the Learning Center takes the help of passionate supporters who recognize the importance of education and what it takes to achieve the goals. Join-Up International, Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit organization, tax ID 77-0459889. Gifts are fully tax-deductible as allowed by law.

September 30, 2018 Solvang, California: In 1983, Adrienne Brandes was instrumental in the launch of D.A.R.E. (for Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teach kids K-12 how to shun peer pressure and blow off drugs and violence. D.A.R.E., the brainchild of the late LAPD Police Chief Daryl Gates that was co-founded by the Los Angeles Unified School District, now is active in 75 percent of the nation’s school districts and in more than 52 countries around the world. Brandes played a critical role in getting it off the ground.

Her mother, a successful real estate agent in Los Angeles after the family immigrated from Dublin when Brandes was 6, urged her to apply for the position for the money so she could further her education. Brandes was halfway through a master’s degree program at Chapman University. She was studying for a master’s degree in counseling psychology at Chapman to become a family therapist, after earning her undergraduate degree in social ecology at UC Irvine.

Adrienne, noted for her philanthropy, amongst other causes, supports HeartFelt which funds research into Sudden Cardiac Death. HeartFelt provides free screening to young athletes in hopes of identifying contributing conditions that might potentially lead to serious health issues, including death, on a playing field.

She joins the Join-Up International Board of Directors after attending two programs to benefit the non-profit Join-Up International. The Monty Roberts’ Horse Sense & Healing program is a resilience-building workshop for veterans, police, fire, first responders and their families. The three-day program involves working closely with horses. The individuals and horses develop a special bond built upon mutual trust and respect. Join-Up offers everyone an effective tool to rediscover themselves through the eyes of the horse. This self-awareness exercise deals effectively with emotional trauma, anti-social behavior and withdrawal, anger, stress, combat stress and even Post Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI).

Brandes first became aware of Monty Roberts at The Movement 2018. This two day Symposium and Awards Dinner in Solvang, California, had presenters and trainers sharing their unique perspectives of the flight animal and how their vocations were changed when they were able to use horses as a metaphor for a better understanding of their work and relationships.

For 25 years, Adrienne Brandes has successfully assisted her clientele in buying and selling luxury properties in the Orange County market, more than $194 million in sales in the last four years. Brandes is incredibly hands-on with each client, providing her undivided attention and personal touch to every encounter with passion from start to finish. Surterre Properties is a residential real estate brokerage.

Join-Up International, Inc is dedicated to promoting gentle, more effective alternatives to violence and force through educational courses and programs that impart Monty Roberts’ concepts of non-violent, trust-building communication. Horses are used as examples and vehicles for this learning process. It is our intention to leave this world a better place for both horses and humans.

The New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned horse trainer Monty Roberts is available for interviews.

MONTY ROBERTS first gained widespread fame with the release of his New York Times Best Selling book, The Man Who Listens To Horses; a chronicle of his life and development of his non-violent horse training methods called Join-Up®. Monty grew up on a working horse farm as a firsthand witness to traditional, often violent methods of horse training and breaking the spirit with an abusive hand. Rejecting that, he went on to win nine world’s championships in the show ring. Today, Monty’s goal is to share his message that “Violence is never the answer.” Roberts has been encouraged by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with the award of the Membership in The Royal Victorian Order, as well as becoming Patron of Join-Up International. Other honors received were the ASPCA “Founders” award and the MSPCA George T. Angell Humanitarian Award and FEI’s Man of the Year. Monty was recently included as Horse and Hound Magazine’s Top 50 Horsemen of All Time. Monty is credited with launching the first of its kind Equus Online University; an interactive online lesson site that is the definitive learning tool for violence-free training.

JOIN-UP philosophies can be seen at work with both humans and horses across the world, from farms to major corporations. To learn more about Monty Roberts or the many applications of his Join-Up training methods, visit www.montyroberts.com . Horse Sense and Soldiers aired on Discovery Military highlighting the therapeutic effect that horses and Monty Roberts’ Join-Up® have on PTSD.

September 30, 2018 Solvang, California: Its going to be an exciting year at Monty Roberts’ Flag Is Up Farms in Solvang, California, home of his International Learning Center and Shy Boy, the mustang of documentary and Breyer fame.

Monty Roberts is entering his 29th year of touring the globe, demonstrating methods of nonviolent training of horses brought to him by members of the audience, both in the saddle and from the ground. The best nights of each tour are edited into a show Roberts calls Backstage Pass of the most challenging and endearing horses from tour. On Monty’s website, 13 new episodes of Monty’s Backstage Pass television series is here https://vimeo.com/montyroberts/vod_pages. The series is comprised of the most spooky horses, new starters, head shy horses, horses that won’t load, buckers, hard to mount horses, and more as they learn from their session with Monty’s gentle methods.

An introduction to the language of ‘Equus.’ Classroom discussion will cover horse behavior and language. The Join-Up® process will be demonstrated and broken down in various exercises, before you get the chance to complete several Join-Ups with different horses. You will learn how to use the Dually halter to establish a relationship where the horse leads willingly and respects your space. At the end of the four days you will have the tools to create an effective, trust-based partnership with your horse.
February 19-21, 2019
March 4-6, 2019
April 8-10, 2019
April 25-27, 2019
August 19-21, 2019
November 12-14, 2019
December 2-4, 2019

Long Lining: 3 Days Long at $850

Effective long-lining has numerous benefits for training and conditioning horses. This class aims to teach you these benefits, the advantages of long-lining over single-line lunging and the skills required to long-line effectively.
February 11-13, 2019
March 7-9, 2019
April 11-13, 2019
May 2-4, 2019
June 3-5, 2019
August 22-24, 2019
October 14-16, 2019
December 5-7, 2019

Horsemanship 101: 1 Day Long at $300

For those new to horses, returning after a long break or trying to overcome fear, these two days will help you become safe and comfortable around horses. Classroom discussion will provide an introduction to how horses think and behave and practical sessions will teach you how to approach, halter, lead, groom and move safely around a horse. You will learn the basic concept behind the Dually™ halter and after watching Join-Up® demonstrations, will experience a guided round pen session to feel the power of inter-species communication.
April 6, 2019
April 7, 2019
August 17, 2019

The New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned horse trainer Monty Roberts is available for interviews.

MONTY ROBERTS first gained widespread fame with the release of his New York Times Best Selling book, The Man Who Listens To Horses; a chronicle of his life and development of his non-violent horse training methods called Join-Up®. Monty grew up on a working horse farm as a firsthand witness to traditional, often violent methods of horse training and breaking the spirit with an abusive hand. Rejecting that, he went on to win nine world’s championships in the show ring. Today, Monty’s goal is to share his message that “Violence is never the answer.” Roberts has been encouraged by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with the award of the Membership in The Royal Victorian Order, as well as becoming Patron of Join-Up International. Other honors received were the ASPCA “Founders” award and the MSPCA George T. Angell Humanitarian Award and FEI’s Man of the Year. Monty was recently included as Horse and Hound Magazine’s Top 50 Horsemen of All Time. Monty is credited with launching the first of its kind Equus Online University; an interactive online lesson site that is the definitive learning tool for violence-free training.

JOIN-UP philosophies can be seen at work with both humans and horses across the world, from farms to major corporations. To learn more about Monty Roberts or the many applications of his Join-Up training methods, visit www.montyroberts.com . Horse Sense and Soldiers aired on Discovery Military highlighting the therapeutic effect that horses and Monty Roberts’ Join-Up® have on PTSD. Roberts has teamed with The Corporate Learning Institute to help transfer the key learning’s from his work to the workplace.

May 30, 2018 Solvang, California: Austria’s iconic Spanish Riding School invited Monty Roberts to Demonstrate Join-Up last year in July and now Monty is making the demonstrations available on his Equus Online University. Founded in 1580, this 450 year old institution had never before invited an outsider to demonstrate a different set of methods for starting and training horses, specifically the Lipizzaner Breed, well known as the famous white stallions of war. This is the roots of the discipline of Dressage.

The eight lesson series began on May 23 and will be weekly posted Wednesdays until July 11 but will remain on Monty’s Equus Online University site, available 24/7 as do all the 500+ lessons there now. A new lesson is added weekly.

“I never stop learning,” says Roberts. “And I don’t want any of my students to stop learning either! I want all of them to be much better than me. We are just scratching the surface of knowing how much horses can teach us.”

Launched in 2009, Monty Roberts and his team developed the first of its kind Equus Online University; an interactive online lesson site that is considered the most effective educational tool for horsemen on the web. It is established now that this learning system is the most comprehensive globally in horsemanship. It was important to Roberts not only to quantify the language of the horses he calls Equus, but also to share its interpretation with lessons from world renowned horse persons such as Stefan Peters and Jan Ebeling from dressage, Will Simpson from Olympic jumping and Phillip Ralls and Richard Winters from Western Reining.

Since launching, Monty Roberts, Charlotte Bredahl-Baker, Martin Clunes (Doc Martin) and many more have contributed their knowledge of horsemanship. “Considered a rosetta stone for horse communication, one of gestures like signing for the deaf, online lessons are available 24/7 have contributed greatly to the encouragement and study of non-violent training of horses.” said Roberts. He wants the global impact to spread in his lifetime and encourages interested persons to log on at http://montyrobertsuniversity.com/library and have a free look around.

When Monty Roberts was invited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989 to demonstrate his understanding of horsemanship, horse training’s 6000 year old tradition was forever changed. Roberts had cracked the code on the communication system horses used to survive for millions of years before humans had domesticated them. Roberts demonstrated concepts that drew a line at pain in training and his life’s goal is to leave the world a better place for horses and for people, too.

Debbie Roberts Loucks, Monty’s daughter, spearheaded the development, “We are first and foremost advocates for keeping horses in people’s lives. The more than 500 video lessons are in categories of Ground Work, from foundational to Advanced, and Ridden Work, from foundational to problem solving. And there is a terrific forum plus a searchable data base of over 600 Questions and Answers from Monty with a handy search bar.”

In 1948 while laying on his belly watching wild mustangs through binoculars in the Nevada desert, the 13-year-old Monty Roberts couldn’t imagine that what he was discovering about horses he would share nearly 70 years later in the famous Marble Hall of the 465 year old Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria before a full house on July 2, 2017. He became the first-ever outside trainer invited to demonstrate at the school.

In 1945, General George S. Patton and the United States Third Army learned that the Lipizzan stallions of the Spanish Riding School had been moved to St. Martins, Austria from Vienna. Patton was a horseman, having competed in the 1912 Olympic games, and declared he was putting the Spanish Riding School under the special protection of the U.S. Army; thus began ‘Operation Cowboy.’

On May 12, 1945, American soldiers acted on Patton’s order to protect the horses until the Lipizzans returned safely to the care of the Spanish Riding School in 1955. Said Patton, “It is probably wrong to permit any highly developed art to perish from the earth. To me, the high schooled Lipizzans represent an art equal to music or painting.” The world stood by transfixed on the massive task of saving these beautiful animals that captivated the world of horsemanship.

In 1949, a 14-year-old Monty Roberts was shown a documentary at Salinas Union High School during a class in agriculture about Patton and the famous white Lipizzan stallions of the Spanish Riding School. Roberts became obsessed with finding out more about the horses and the severe training he had seen on the film. The documentary was quickly buried due to scenes of violence in the training of the white stallions.

Patton had preserved the beautiful art form, which was the highest level of classical dressage. Soon after in 1953 Princess Elizabeth was crowned as the Queen of the United Kingdom and her love of horses was well known from about the age of four. Monty Roberts and Queen Elizabeth nurtured their love of horses without meeting and from a world apart. Some 36 years later in 1989, Queen Elizabeth read about Monty Roberts and invited him to Windsor Castle to demonstrate his concepts.

Queen Elizabeth clearly wanted the best for her horses. Whether they were Thoroughbred racehorses, military horses, carriage horses or simply horses she loved to ride, Her Majesty wanted them trained in the most respectful manner possible. The Queen endorsed Monty’s concepts of training horses without violence, causing them to rise to the highest degree of proficiency in their given discipline with the lowest possible stress.

Her Majesty observed five days of Roberts’ causing young horses to accept their first saddle and rider in about 30 minutes. It was then that the Queen requested a book about who Monty Roberts was and why he chose to reverse what had been the traditional ‘breaking’ procedures for 6,000 years. The publishers suggested the book would sell 3,000 to 5,000 copies, but, in fact, Her Majesty watched as Roberts’ first literary challenge reach six and a half million copies.

It has been with the Queen’s encouragement that Monty Roberts has now toured the world demonstrating his principles. In 44 countries Roberts has presented his audiences with over 11,000 horses. About 25 percent have been totally untrained, while 50 percent have been severely beset by behavioral problems. The remaining 25 percent simply refused to load in a trailer or truck used for transportation. All of these were successful in overcoming their given problem.

The horse is a flight animal whose relationship with man dates back about 6,000 years. Without the horse, Genghis Khan couldn’t have conquered more than twice as much land as any other person in history, crossing Eastern and Western civilizations in the process. Unlike other armies, the Mongols traveled with no supply train other than a large reserve of horses. The army was virtually all cavalrymen, who were expert riders and deadly with bow and arrow.

Dressage has its roots in classical Greek horsemanship and the military that trained their horses to perform movements intended to evade or attack the enemy while doing battle. The earliest writings about training horses were from Xenophon, a Greek Military Commander born around 430 BC. Xenophon is famously known for understanding equine behavior and the importance of gentleness and fairness with horses.

These seemingly contradictory qualities of horses as warriors and willing partners are at a crossroads in history and influential horsemen are coming together to explore the future of horsemanship in our cultures. The traditional Spanish Riding School, where the art of classic dressage education has been cultivated for more than 465 years, opened its doors for the first time inviting 82-year-old Monty Roberts to demonstrate his expertise in horsemanship.

On July 2, 2017 the world famous horse trainer was in Vienna to share his art of horse gentling techniques on a Sunday evening to a sold-out arena called the Marble Hall. The Lipizzan horsemen of the Spanish Riding School were present to observe Roberts. The Spanish Riding School brought Roberts five horses of different origins, one untrained, one to gentle, two with problems and one that refused to load in a trailer. One belonged to the Head of Communications for the School, Andrea Kerssenbrock.

“I’m in love with my horse and the bond between us became stronger than before this unique experience. I appreciate so much that we have had these days with Monty.” said Kerssenbrock, owner of Amos who was the first mount in the demonstration that night. She and her husband Franziskus von Kerssenbrock brought Amos for Roberts to train. “Amos behaved like a real ‘champion’ – relaxed and trusting. We’re supposed to take good care of him, the deeply impressed Monty Roberts gave us the way. We will!”

“I always wanted to go see the Spanish Riding School” said Roberts. “This was a pivotal day in my life. You could call it the pinnacle. I was 82 but I felt 12 years old!”
Each horse was dealt with in the absence of violence and all five met their intended goals.

While tracking wild mustangs in Nevada as a boy, Roberts observed a nonverbal communication between the horses, a silent language he would later call ‘Equus’. Roberts incorporates Equus into his nonviolent training approach called Join-Up®. Roberts first developed Join-Up to help teach horsemen how to stop the cycle of violence typically accepted in traditional horse breaking. Roberts created a consistent set of principles using the horse’s inherent methods of communication and herd behavior.

The result is a willing partnership in which the horse’s performance can flourish to its full potential, rather than exist within the boundaries of obedience. These principles are valuable tools to understanding what motivates horse behavior and increasing effectiveness in any application. Join-Up training methods are most simply expressed in the process of starting raw horses. Without the use of pain or force, the trainer persuades a raw horse to accept a saddle and rider in less than 30 minutes.

Monty Roberts has discovered that these principles are effective as a tool for dealing with many stress-related issues of the human mind. Roberts believes that PTSD is not, in fact, a disorder, but an injury. He states that it should be PTSI. His belief is that injuries heal and most people believe that disorders are challenges that do not tend to heal. Disorders require other forms of dealing with disorders of the human.

With these beliefs in place Roberts has been working with military veterans and first responders in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. More than 1,000 individuals have experienced the engagement of horses in the process of dealing with post-traumatic stress injury. The results of these clinics have been overwhelmingly successful and are gaining momentum throughout the areas where Roberts has conducted his clinics.

Chief Executive Officer Elisabeth Gürtler is the director of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. Ms. Gürtler was an Austrian champion in dressage and part of the Austrian dressage team at the CHIO (Concours Hippique International Officiel) in Aachen in 1979. As Chief Executive Officer she is responsible for the strategic development of the school and the representation of its traditions as the only institution in the world, which has practiced for more than 450 years.

“We were more than impressed that Monty Roberts agreed to demonstrate for the Spanish Riding School and tour the Piber Stud as well.” Gürtler told the audience of 44 press agents and board members of the Spanish Riding School.

On Monday, July 3, Monty Roberts was guest of honor at a luncheon and press conference inside the halls of the Spanish Riding School where the evening before he had demonstrated his mastery of horsemanship. Elisabeth Gürtler and the Director of the Stud Farm in Piber, Dr. Max Dobretsberger were there to honor and thank Roberts for his gesture of demonstrating his methods at the school.

The following day, July 4, Roberts was escorted to Piber to tour the Stud Farm where for over 400 years there has been a concerted effort to breed the Lipizzaner Stallions for the unique abilities of athleticism and intelligence representative of the breed and to make them fit for the famous Spanish Riding School.

“On Sunday, July 2, I provided my horse, Jonas, who did a Join-Up with Mr. Roberts that was very impressive. I am so pleased that we brought Mr. Roberts to the Spanish Riding School. The whole night was incredibly impressive.” said Dr. Max Dobretsberger.

He added, “On Monday, July 3, Monty Roberts was guest of honor at a luncheon and press conference inside the halls of the Spanish Riding School, where the evening before he had demonstrated his mastery of horsemanship. I, along with Elizabeth Gürtler, was there to honor and thank Mr Roberts for his gesture of demonstrating his methods at the school. My wife and I enjoyed giving him a tour of the stud and the mountain pastures. It was an enjoyable afternoon. My wife and I are both veterinarians and we want the best for the horses.”

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Photos available upon request

For further information and interviews, please contact in the United States Debbie Roberts Loucks, Roberts Legacy Strategist at debbie@montyroberts.com

For further information and interviews, please contact Andrea Kerssenbrock, Head of Communications Spanish Riding School, presse@srs.at

Monty Roberts has created Join-Up International, a 501c3 non-profit foundation. With his learning center on his Flag Is Up Farms in Solvang, California, he has produced a growing list of certified instructors globally. These facts insure that Monty will meet his life’s goal which is to leave the world a better place than he found it for horses and for people, too. www.MontyRoberts.com

This unique event helps you better understand problem solving using violence-free training methods. Come and spend time with like-minded people absorbing what non-violent communication can be. Enjoy discussions too with Monty and students from around the world. http://themovement2018.com/

“We are describing The Movement as Demonstrations, Discoveries and Pathways,” said Debbie Roberts Loucks who is managing the event. “A movement starts with a clear vision of a world different than the one we live in today. The presenters are each amazing in their own industries and they all have a vision of a better world, inspired by incorporating horses in their own story. They come to share that vision and build on it with participants who will take home a plan to change their lives too. Leaders may inspire, but only when people choose to act does a vision become a movement.”

“This two-day event is part symposium and part festival and will be lots of fun for those who appreciate horses. The Movement is the perfect environment for connecting with peers who know that horses have a lot to teach”, commented Pat Roberts, wife of Monty Roberts and co-host of the event. “You will learn how Monty keeps stress out of his life with horses, and how to develop the motivation and resilience to achieve your life’s goals.”
Monty Roberts, the New York Times bestselling author of The Man Who Listens to Horses will share his life story about overcoming barriers, motivating yourself and lowering your stress levels to achieve your goals. Other presenters come from backgrounds such as artists, a variety of horse trainers, authors, professors, Agility Dog Trainer, a film industry leader, an equestrian photographer, and noted horsewomen. http://themovement2018.com/presenters/

At the symposium, Monty and his Certified Instructors will work with a range of young and remedial horses. Participants will gain first-hand knowledge during demonstrations, lectures, and discussions. This event is for the novice rider, the non-rider, as well as the advanced student who wants to observe advanced horsemanship at work. There will be demonstrations on how to communicate with horses in their natural language in various situations.

The Awards dinner on Wednesday night features artists and the film festival screening. The menu for the evening film festival:
Dinner
Wild Arugula-Shaved Sweet Fennel-Red Onion-Orange and Toasted Pepitas Salad
IPA Vinaigrette

MONTY ROBERTS AVAILABLE FOR SELECT INTERVIEWS:
The New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned horse trainer Monty Roberts is available for interviews.

MONTY ROBERTS first gained widespread fame with the release of his New York Times Best Selling book, The Man Who Listens To Horses; a chronicle of his life and development of his non-violent horse training methods called Join-Up®. Monty grew up on a working horse farm as a firsthand witness to traditional, often violent methods of horse training and breaking the spirit with an abusive hand. Rejecting that, he went on to win nine world’s championships in the show ring. Today, Monty’s goal is to share his message that “Violence is never the answer.” Roberts has been encouraged by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with the award of the Membership in The Royal Victorian Order, as well as becoming Patron of Join-Up International. Other honors received were the ASPCA “Founders” award and the MSPCA George T. Angell Humanitarian Award and FEI’s Man of the Year. Monty was recently included as Horse and Hound Magazine’s Top 50 Horsemen of All Time. Monty is credited with launching the first of its kind Equus Online University; an interactive online lesson site that is the definitive learning tool for violence-free training.

JOIN-UP philosophies can be seen at work with both humans and horses across the world, from farms to major corporations. To learn more about Monty Roberts or the many applications of his Join-Up training methods, visit www.montyroberts.com . Horse Sense and Soldiers aired on Discovery Military highlighting the therapeutic effect that horses and Monty Roberts’ Join-Up® have on PTSD. Roberts has teamed with The Corporate Learning Institute to help transfer the key learning’s from his work to

February 27, 2017 Solvang, California: On February 18, 2017 Lead-Up International officially launched in Solvang, California at Monty and Pat Roberts’ Flag Is Up Farms. Lead-Up International, a program of Monty Roberts’ Join-Up International, brought their development team from Guatemala lead by founder Catherine (Katie) Cunningham accompanied by Mindy Grantham who administrates the program and Ricardo Pokorny, Katie’s husband. Ten instructors were certified by Join-Up International to impart Lead-Up workshops in nine different countries. Lead-Up workshops will now be available in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These instructor certifications mean that Monty Roberts will be reaching more vulnerable youth than ever before and creating peaceful leaders around the globe.

“Lead-Up International is an original and compelling Leadership Program which aims to reach vulnerable you and create peaceful leaders through workshops with horses.” Katie Cunningham told a sold out crowd at the fundraising demonstration and dinner held at Monty and Pat Roberts’ home. Cunningham is the founder, a lifelong horsewoman and promoter of equine and human welfare.

The Lead-Up program is based around workshops with horses in which participants ages 15-22 are introduced to humane ways of handling and interacting with horses. Participants discover non-violence and non-aggression for themselves through interactions with horses and principally through the experience of Join-Up® with a horse, the non-violent training system designed by Monty Roberts author ofThe Man Who Listens to Horses. Convinced there must be a more humane and effective system to train horses Monty created Join-Up, a consistent set of principles based on the horse’s inherent body language and herd-behavior. The result of Join-Up is a willing partnership based on mutual respect and trust.

The Lead-Up team has been developing the program since 2012 and has partnered with global organizations and local NGOs in Guatemala who have expressed the growing need to reduce violence in the communities they serve. Their team is international and varied in their talents but have in common the desire to take these groundbreaking methods to the world. They recently announced that the journal ‘Human Animal Interaction Bulletin’ has published a report by Dr. Judith Gibbons and team with scientific evidence of reduced violence and abuse toward horses and people through the Lead-Up Program.

Monty Roberts Certified Instructors traveled from across the globe to be trained and receive a specialty certificate to hold Lead-Up clinics in their areas. From the United States, Courtney Dunn was certified. From England, Chris Morris and Caron Whaley received their certification. From Hungary, Csilla Csaszar was certified. From Austria, Martina Hoebling was certified. From Brazil, Miguel Lupiano was certified. From Ireland Caitriona O’Meara was certified. From Germany, Denise Heinlein was certified. And from Australia, Caroline Jennings was certified. Also attending was Jerry Sparby from Minnesota who can help support the California courses as a therapist. Debbie Roberts Loucks has been strategic for Join-Up International to help organize the smooth development of this program to take it global.

Monty Roberts has been recognized by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who acknowledged his work by honoring him with the Royal Victorian Order and who is also Patron of Join-Up International, the 501 c 3 non-profit formed to educate people in these concepts. The Queen recognized Catherine Cunningham in 2012 for her efforts to reduce violence in Guatemala. Queen Elizabeth is following the development of this program for the humane treatment of animals and trust based relationships with humans.

Join-Up International is a California non-profit organization (tax ID 77-0459889) founded by world-renowned horse trainer Monty Roberts. Join-Up is dedicated to promoting gentle, effective alternatives to violence and force in both equine and human relationships. Roberts’ unique and gentle method of using the horse’s own language to achieve breakthrough results is revolutionary, but not magical. Communication is a gift all have and it can be practiced and developed.

“My goal is to leave the world a better place than I found it for horses and for people, too.”—Monty Roberts

Join-Up International seeks to foster the adoption of skills among a greater audience, insuring their preservation for generations to come. Join-Up concepts have helped abused women and children, and their abusers, too, as well as special needs children, youth at risk, prison inmates, foster families, children and adults with a history of abuse and war veterans. Lead-Up International is seeking Founding Members to help launch a broader campaign to share these workshops with more organizations, people and horses. For more information about the program or to schedule a presentation, write to katie@join-up.org

Community and family violence are endemic in Guatemala. Lead-Up evaluated the effectiveness of a horse-handling program to reduce violent attitudes and aggressive behavior. Eighteen community members who worked with horses in their daily lives (16 men, 2 women, ages 15 to 58) participated in four weekly sessions of embodied experiences with horses. The program taught Monty Roberts’ Join-Up®, a method of non-violent handling, as well as desensitization of horses to feared objects. Compared to the pretest, on a posttest participants were less likely to endorse violent attitudes with respect to wife-beating, corporal punishment of children, and physical punishment of horses. Their horses also were less reactive to the owner’s approach. Female relatives reported that following the program participants provided better care for horses and were calmer and less aggressive with other people. These findings imply that an equine-facilitated program shows promise for transforming communities in which violence is prevalent. Research study can be accessed at: http://www.apa-hai.org/human-animal-interaction/human-animal-interaction-bulletin/ Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin 2015, Vol. 3, No. 2, 37-55 “Before, he fought every day with the horse and with me”: Reducing Violence in a Guatemalan Community through a Horse-Handling Program, Judith L. Gibbons 1, Catherine A. Cunningham 2, Leslie Paiz 2, Katelyn E. Poelker 1, & Marco Antonio Montufar Cardenas 3 1 Saint Louis University, 2 La Ronda Equestrian Club, & 3 Fundación Equinos Sanos Para El Pueblo

A paper titled “Monty Roberts’ public demonstrations: Preliminary report on the heart rate and heart rate variability of horses undergoing training during live audience events” has been accepted for publication in the international journal “Animals.”

“Animals” is an international and interdisciplinary scholarly open access journal concerned with publishing high quality scientific papers within the field of ‘animals’, including zoology, ethnozoology, animal science, animal ethics and animal welfare. In particular, this journal showcases scientific study describing animals’ interactions with the outside world, including humans. “Animals” is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and takes the responsibility to enforce a rigorous peer-review together with strict ethical policies and standards to ensure the addition of high quality scientific works to the field of scholarly publication.

This new paper describes the opportunistic collection and analysis of heart rate (HR; beat-to-beat intervals) and heart rate variability (HRV) of 10 horses being trained during Monty Roberts’ public demonstrations within the United Kingdom and is authored by Loni Loftus, Kelly Marks, Rosie Jones-McVey, Jose L. Gonzales and Dr. Veronica L. Fowler (lead author).

Key findings from the study include:

• Stress responses recorded in this study were comparable (e.g. when compared to horses undergoing foundation training) or more favorable (e.g. when compared to novel object tests, handling tests or horses anticipating competition) to previously reported studies in the literature.

• Stress responses during public demonstrations were proportional to low-moderate exercise intensities described in other training methods where horses were under similar levels of physiological stress as reported in literature.

• The stress responses during a specific training method known as “Join-Up®” were comparable to other methods of training used by Monty Roberts during public demonstrations, and were consistent with exercise intensity (physiological stress). There was no evidence that Join-Up® altered HR and HRV in a way to suggest that this training method presents the horse with psychological or physical stressors which would negatively affect welfare.

• There was preliminary evidence that training undertaken in a roundpen, including Join-Up® controls or inhibits the flight response (limits the fear response).

In conclusion, training of horses during public demonstrations is a mild stressor for horses. However the stress responses observed within this study were comparable or less to those previously reported in the literature for horses being trained outside of public audience events and was indicative of exercise at low-moderate intensity (physiological stress), rather than psychological stress.

A comparison between the Monty Roberts technique and the conventional UK technique for initial training of riding horses

Solvang, CA– The scientific paper authored by Drs. Veronica Fowler, Mark Kennedy and David Marlin entitled ‘A comparison between the Monty Roberts technique and a conventional UK technique for initial training of riding horses’ was accepted for and published in Anthrozoös. Anthrozoös is a quarterly, peer-reviewed multidisciplinary journal reporting the interactions of people and animals, a journal which has enjoyed a distinguished history as a pioneer in the field since its launch in 1987. Prior to appearing in print in Anthrozoös the study was presented at the International Society of Equitation Science (ISES) having been accepted by the scientific committee and also presented at the Centre for Animal Welfare & Anthrozoology, Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Cambridge both.

Comment from Dr. Veronica Fowler on the results of the study:

“This study describes a comparison of the efficacy of the Monty Roberts horsemanship technique in comparison to a UK conventional training technique for the initial training of horses. Initial training of young horses, in particular the first time a horse is saddled and ridden has been recently reported in the scientific literature as a significant stressor in terms of the impact on the welfare of the horse. It is therefore vital that we fully evaluate the techniques which are practiced around the world to identify those which have the potential to cause compromised welfare and suffering during foundation training of horses.

Our study reports that horses trained using Monty Roberts’ methods had significantly lower maximum heart rates (bpm) during both first saddle and first rider when compared to a UK conventional training method. Monty Roberts trained horses did have significantly lower heart rates during first saddle and first rider backing process (i.e. heart rate reduced between first saddle and first rider), a finding which has never previously been reported in the scientific literature. Thus the heart rates observed from Monty Roberts trained horses during first saddle and first rider are currently the lowest reported for any training regime reported in the literature to date.

The use of the round pen and in particular the technique of Join-up have been frequently criticized and reported in the literature to be another significant stressor due to the perceived opinion that this environment and method overtly activates the flight response. Our study could find no evidence that the use of the round pen or, indeed the technique of Join-up, was fear inducing and thus a significant stressor to the horse based on heart rate alone. In fact, we found that the heart rate of horses during this technique were considerably below the maximum heart rate for horses of this age and breed.

Following 20 days of training (30 minutes/horse/day) the study horses undertook a standardized ridden obstacle and flatwork test and a ridden freestyle test. Heart rates recorded during these tests for both training regimes were not significantly different; however Monty Robert’s trained horses scored significantly higher in all three tests as determined by a panel of judges who were unaware of the study or the trainers involved in the study.

Our manuscript therefore provides peer reviewed scientific substance to indicate that that the Monty Roberts training technique is highly efficacious in terms of the effect on the welfare and performance of the horse undergoing foundation training.”

Mr. Roberts responded that his Join-Up® method uses both positive and negative reinforcement, and negative reinforcement could be a ”good thing.”

”How do you get a horse to move off your leg? You lay your leg against the horse with pressure and then when the horse steps away you remove the pressure – that’s negative reinforcement,” said Mr. Roberts, who advocates non-violence and uses choice without pain or force in the training of horses in front of live audiences worldwide.

”Everybody that ever works with a horse stresses a horse. You will stress a horse when you bring him out of a meadow,” said Mr. Roberts. “They have to go through a certain amount of stress in order to accept they are going to live with humans,” he said.

Compare this student’s paper making the news in equestrian circles worldwide with acontrolled Science Trial and published in alegitimate Science Journal Anthrozoös referenced by Fowler V. Kennedy M. and Marlin D. (2012) A Comparison of the Monty Roberts Technique with a Conventional UK technique for initial training of riding horses. Anthrozoös. Vol. 25 (3).